Apartment fire yesterday. As WLBC reported first yesterday morning, the one building that burned of the Muncie Colonial Crest Apartments was called a total loss by Red Cross representative Mark Slusher. 11 families were displaced, with a total of 24 residents. No injuries, and Red Cross was on scene right away providing canteen to firemen and caseworkers, meeting with those impacted. MPD officers cleared the apartments and located people and pets that were removed, according to Chief Nathan Sloan.
Indy yesterday – two people injured, and several police cars rammed. A chase stared after a man stole the keys of a woman’s Jeep at gunpoint and fired shots at the home. A woman in that car was ejected from it and later rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. After the driver was arrested, they found a shotgun and narcotics they believe he stashed in the Jeep. He has 29 prior felonies on his record.
State Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) yesterday recognized Muncie-based AWAKEN, and the Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee (MARRC) for their dedication and service to the Afghan refugees who made Indiana their home last summer. As explained in a press release, established in 2002 by Bibi Bahrami, AWAKEN is dedicated to enabling Afghan women and families to become literate, healthy and self-sufficient. The MARRC is a volunteer-run organization that works to ensure that local Afghan refugees have the support they need to thrive in their new home.
If you’ve submitted your tax returns and have not gotten your refund back, you’re in the same pickle as many Americans and many other Hoosiers. The IRS began the year with a backlog of about six million returns. The agency also promised that most Americans will receive a refund within 21 days. But, if you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit, that could cause delays.
It’s the girls of Frankton against Fairfield Saturday at 1 pm in the semi-states of the high school basketball tourney. Noblesville plays Crown Point at 7 pm – and the winners head to the State Finals. Friday and Saturday, the wrestling State Finals happen at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy. This Sunday, the boys pairings show starts at 5 p.m. on The MSS and The HBU from Woof Boom Radio.
Readying for high water. Delaware County Emergency Management provides two sandbag stations for the community at EMS Station 3 (4501 E Memorial Dr) and the County Fairgrounds. As WLBC’s Kim Morris reported first yesterday, these are “fill your own bags” stations – bags and sand are provided, but you will need to bring a shovel.
An arrest this week – Grant County Sheriff’s Department told WTHR the incident happened Jan. 12. on an Oak Hill United School Corporation school bus involving a 16-year-old student. On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was issued for 18-year-old Brandon Gage Blanchard-Vigar, of Marion. He was arrested around 5:45 p.m. that same day and taken to the Grant County Jail, charged with rape and sexual battery. His bond has been set at $30,000 cash. The investigation is ongoing.
Anytime that $87 million in taxpayer money is to be spent, you can count on questions. The Herald Bulletin reported that local residents agree there is a need for a new jail in Madison County but the commissioners took no formal action on the recommendations for a new jail. Sheriff Scott Mellinger said in 2019 that the average daily population in the current jail was 268 and at times exceeded 300 people. He told those gathered at the public hearing this week, “We need a 400- to 450-bed jail because of the classification of inmates that are required.”
